Many dog owners in west Belconnen take their dogs to the park to socialise, catch up with friends and get their dogs some exercise. On the campaign trail, I received a lot of positive remarks about this improvement and they were very happy to hear that the government was playing an active role in building and improving this kind of infrastructure in our community.

Therefore I was very pleased when the government announced that it would soon be designing and building a brand new dog park in the inner north. This $300,000 investment will ensure that dog owners in Canberra's north are well looked after and that they will not have to go very far to give their best friend a safe and social place to play.

These initiatives show that the ACT government cares not only for the people of Canberra but for their dogs as well.

Tandem

MR WALL (Brindabella) (6.49): I rise tonight to acknowledge the work of Tandem. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tandem AGM for 2012. Tandem offer a wide range of services to the community, supporting families of children with a disability, adults with a disability, people suffering from mental illness, as well as support for the frail aged. The services they offer to their clients range from after-school and holiday care programs to home care and respite services. In the past financial year, Tandem provided over 115,000 hours of care to in excess of 600 Canberrans. These hours of service are delivered by over 180 dedicated staff and volunteers.

I would like to pay a special mention to the members of the Tandem board: the President, Peter Gordon; Secretary and Public Officer, Karen Noble; Treasurer, Cath Sutton; and the general members Steve Dascarolis, Mark Vergano, Catherine Argall PSM, Joan Ross, Patrick White and Ron Kingsbury OAM. Their dedication to Tandem and the community continue to enrich the lives of many Canberrans.

I would also like to congratulate one of Tandem's services, Tandem House, for being awarded the ABC's Saturday gardening spruce-up. Each year ABC Canberra conduct a garden makeover of a local not-for-profit charity. Many of the landscaping materials are donated by local businesses, and countless Canberrans will give up their time on Saturday, 1 December to provide much of the manual labour required to plant plants and construct garden beds. Recently Tandem CEO Cheryl Pollard said:

We are thrilled to be welcoming the Saturday Breakfast team and the wider Canberra community to Tandem House on 1 December. This event will not only help to raise people's awareness of the needs of many in our community, but will also help to provide all those who go to Tandem House with a fun, safe and accessible outdoor space to enjoy.